As genealogists generally do, I have put together a family tree detailing my ancestors. As a historian, though, I am diligently looking for descendants, hoping they may have pieces of a puzzle: a story, a photograph, an artifact. Perhaps YOU are one of the people I am looking for. If your ancestors lived in east-central... Continue Reading →
Taking Stock
By Eilene Lyon At first, the goal was just to set up a blog and see what happened with it. Starting on January 1st, I delved in with some design work and my first, brief post. Well, that was interesting. I spent a bit more time drafting my second post, which was longer and involved... Continue Reading →
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Week 5: #52Ancestors - Census By Eilene Lyon Because I am trying to find as many living descendants as possible for Henry Zane Jenkins and his wife, Abigail Bedford, I have been following many family lines down to the present. One of these lines is the Rackleffs of Oregon. Last year, while working on this... Continue Reading →
“Can You Read Me Now?”
By Eilene Lyon Reading handwritten documents is a critical part of genealogical and historical research. The debate about teaching children to write cursive is ongoing. The question for me is, “Can you read cursive writing without learning how to do it yourself?” I believe the answer is “Yes.” I quit writing cursive as soon as... Continue Reading →
National Parks 2013 – 2017 – Part 3
By Eilene Lyon It’s been a couple weeks since my last post about National Parks and other public lands. As I mentioned before, I highly encourage you to learn more about the history of these places and the threats they face by clicking on the links below. Let’s start with Glacier National Park (feature photo... Continue Reading →
The Kindness of Strangers
By Eilene Lyon I keep this rather unremarkable photograph as a reminder of the kindnesses of strangers to an adventurous college graduate making a solo cross-country trip. June 15, 1985: I left Columbus, Ohio, in this 1972 Pontiac Ventura, pulling a lightweight boat trailer. My boyfriend had built a box on it to haul my... Continue Reading →
An Invitation to Heidelsheim
Week 4: #52Ancestors - Invitation to Dinner By Eilene Lyon “Which of your ancestors would you like to invite to dinner?” asked Amy Johnson Crow. I’d like to turn that around and be the one invited to dinner by my ancestors. Specifically, the Springers in Heidelsheim, Germany, in 1853. That would be the year before... Continue Reading →
Payday Lending 1850s-Style
By Eilene Lyon Ridiculously expensive loans are certainly not a modern phenomenon. They probably began with the invention of the monetary concept. I’ll give you two clams today; you’ll give me three clams tomorrow. Farmers in the early- to mid-19th century were loath to borrow money, especially from banks. They’d been burned by the federal... Continue Reading →
What’s Wrong with Transplanting?
By Eilene Lyon First, this post is not about putting vegetables in your garden, though I’ll point out that there are many reasons you shouldn’t put non-native ornamentals in your yard. The problems we have here in the western U. S. with tamarisk and Russian olive are an illustration of what can go wrong. Rather,... Continue Reading →